Alarm and releasing mechanism for fire-engine houses.



0. U. 0 mm 37 V 0 N d 0v t n e t a P R E T T A M P E m m 6 n N ALARM ANDRELEASING MECHANISM FOR FIRE ENGINE HOUSES.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1900.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 66|,6l6. Patented Nov. l3,- I900. E. P. MATTER;

ALARM AND BELEASING MECHANISM FOR FIRE ENGINE HOUSES.

(Application filed Mar. 13. 1900. (N M 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 on m- UNITEDSTATES :PATENT Grinch.

EDWVARD P. MATTER, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 661,616, dated November13, 1900.

Application filed March 13, 1900. serial 110.81543. \No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, EDWARD P. MATTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alexandria, in the county of Alexandria and 'State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm andReleasing Mechanism for Fire-Engine Houses; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use'the same.

This invention has relation to fire-alarm and engine-house applianceswhereby when an alarm of fire is sent in from a box or other point thehorses are released, the electric releasing mechanism cut out ofcircuit, and a local alarm brought into circnit to indicate the pointfrom which the alarm has been sent.

The object of the invention is the provision of electric appliances 'forthe purposes aforesaid which can be installed at a comparatively lowcost, maintained at a slight expense, comprise a minimum number ofworking parts, and which will be thoroughly reliable and effective.

The invention also consists of the novel features, details ofconstructiomand combination of the parts, which hereinafter will be morefully disclosed and finally claimed, and for this purpose and also toacquire a knowledge of the merits of the invention and the structuraldetails of the means whereby'the results are attained reference is to behad to the appended description and the drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and characteristic features of the invention arenecessarily susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a front elevation of the means for effecting a release ofthe horses and cut-' ting the local alarm intocircnit, the dotted linesshowing the relation of the parts when actuated by means of thecounterbalance. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the means'shown in Fig. 1,the spring-actuated bolt being in section and the dotted linesillustrating the position of the parts after being operated to bring thelocal alarm into circuit and the catch mechanism released. Fig. 3 is adia- .closed circuit.

grammatical viewindicating the direction of the circuits.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

Each engine-house is to be equipped with the means forming the basis ofthe present application, the same consisting of an electriccircuit-closer A, an electric releasing mechanism 13, a catch mechanism0, a switch D, and a local alarm E.

The electric circuit-closer consists of an electromagnet 1, armature 2,and contacts 3 and 4. This mechanism is included in a Hence the armature2 is attracted and the contacts 3 and A are held separated and thelocal.circuit open. The electromagnet 1 is included in the circuit fromwhich an alarm of fire is to be sent in and which for the sake ofclearness is designated as an alarm-box 5 of ordinary construction. Theleads 6 and 7 from the alarm-box connect with the binding-posts 8 and 9,to which the terminal conductors 10 and 11 of the wire of theelectromagnet connect. Binding-posts 12 and 13 are electricallyconnected by means of conductors 14 and 15 with the respective contacts3 and 4.

The electromagnet 16 of the releasing mechanism has one end of its wire,as 17, in connection with a bindingepost 18 and the opposite end portion19 connected with a contact 20. A wire or conductor 21 connects thebinding-post 13 with the binding-post 18 and a companion conductor 22connects the binding-post 12 with a binding-post 23, adjacent to thebinding-post 18. A wire or conductor 24 connects the binding-post 23with a switchlever 25. A second contact-plate 26 is located adjacent tothe contact 20,and a conductor 27 connects it with a binding-post 28. Abinding-post 29, adjacent to the binding-post 28, is connected by meansof a wire. 30 with the binding-post 18. The local alarm consists of anelectric bell 31 of any approved type and of the single-stroke variety,and lead-wires 32 and 33 connect itwith the binding-posts 28 and 29.

The armature 3 1 is extended and constructed to form a catch, beingnotched forthis purpose, and normally engages with a pivoted arm 35,provided with a projecting stud or pin 36. This arm 35 normally inclinesfrom the perpendicular at its upper free end, so that when released fromthe armature-catch 34 it will swing forwardly and downwardly. Acounterbalance or weight 37 is connected by means of a short chain 38 orlike means with the stud or projection 36 and normally is heldrestrained thereby. This counterbalance or weight 37 has connection withthe switchlever 25 by means of a chain or equivalent means 39, wherebysaid lever is moved from the contact 20 to the contact 26, when theweight or counterbalance is released, so as to cut the electromagnet 16out of circuit and the alarm mechanism E into circuit. A spring-actuatedlatch-bolt 40 is likewise connected with the counterbalance or weight 37by means of a chain or equivalent means 41.

The catch mechanism, two being employed consists of a pivot-ed arm 41and a spring-actuated' bolt 40, which is adapted to engage with the freeend of the arm 41 and hold it against the tension of the connection 42,extending to the catch or locking mechanism of the stalls or other partsto be released in the usual manner, the same not being shown, as it isof ordinary arrangement and well understood. The connection 42 is undertension and is provided with a ring to engage with the arm 41. Theinstant the bolt 40 is actuated by means of the weight or counterbalance37, so as to release the arm 41, the latter swings outward under thetension of the connection 42 and permits the part or parts operativelyconnected therewith to move, so as .to release the horses or any othermechanism desired.

In the installation of the appliances the parts are electricallyconnected,su bstantially as herein set forth and illustrated,.and whenthe alarm is sent from a box or other point the electromagnet l isinitially demagnetized, and its armature 2 being released moves so astobring the contacts 3 and 4 into engagement and close the circuitthrough the electromagnet 16, Whose armature 34 being attracted releasesthe pivoted arm 35, which turns outward and downward under the action ofthe weight or counterbalance 37, which latter shifts the switch-lever 25and actuates the bolt 40, so as to release the pivoted arm 41, wherebythe connection 42 is liberated for the purposestated. Starting at thecontact 4, the circuit is as follows: through conductor 15, binding-post13, conductor 21, bindingpost 18, conductor 17, electromagnet 16, conductor 19, contact 20, switch-lever 25, conductor 24, binding post 23,conductor 22, binding-post 12, conductor 14, armature 2, and contact 3back to contact 4. Almost instantaneous with the energizing of theelectromagnet 16 the same is thrown out of circuit by the shifting ofthe switch through the intervention of the counterbalance or weight 37,which causes the switch-lever 25 to shift from the contact 20 to thecontact 26. The initial actuation of the armature 2 throws the releasingmechanism out of circuit and the local alarm into circuit, and thelatter is as follows: beginning at the contact 4, thence throughconductor 15, binding-post 13, conductor 21,.binding-post l3, conductor30, binding-post 29, electric bell 31, then back through conductor 32,binding-post 28, conductor 27, contact 26, switch lever 25, conductor24, binding-post 23, conductor 22, binding-post l2, conductor 14,armature 2, and contact 3 back to contact 4. Each time the alarm-circuitis opened and closed the electromagnet 1 is energized and demagnetized,whereby the circuit, including the alarm or electric bell 31, is openedand'closed by the making and breaking of the contacts 3 and 4, and whensaid circuit is closed the alarm or hell 31 will make a single strokecorresponding with the interruption of the circuit from the alarm-box 5.The electromagnet 1 serves in the capacity of a repeater, and the localalarm will sound as many times as the circuit is interrupted by means ofthe alarm-box 5. Hence it can be readily ascertained at what point thealarm of fire has been turned in. After being actuated it is necessarythat the releasing mechanism be reset by hand. The releasing mechanismhas nothing whatever to do with the alarm. It only releases thehorses-or any part to beliberated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In asystem comprising a general-alarm circuit, a local alarm, and anelectric releasing mechanism, an electric circuit-closer included in thegeneral alarm and actuated thereby,'a switch for throwing the electricreleasing mechanism out of circuit and the local alarm into circuit, anda counterbalance normally held in restraint by a part of the electricreleasing mechanism and adapted to throw the electric releasingmechanism out of circuit'and the local alarm into circuit upon aninitial actuation of the aforesaid circuitcloser, substantially as setforth. 2. In a system comprisingageneral alarm, alocal alarm, and anelectric releasing mechanism, an electric circuit-closer controlled byand included in the general-alarm circuit, a catch mechanism, a switch,and a counterbalance normally held in restraint by a part of thereleasing mechanism and connected with the said switch and catchmechanism for a simultaneous actuation thereof when the circuit-closeris initially operated, whereby the catch mechanism is released, thereleasing mechanism thrown out-of circuit, and the local alarm cut intocircuit, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-alarm system, the combination of a general-alarm circuitnormally closed and including an electromagnet as part of acircuit-closer, a local-alarm circuit, and a releasing-circuit includinga switch and electric contacts, the latter normally held separatedBonnie by the attractive force of the aforementioned electromagnet, anda counterbalance normally held in restraint by a part of the aforesaidreleasing mechanism and having connection with the switch and adapted tothrow the circuit of the releasing mechanism out of action and thelocal-alarm circuit into action upon the initial closing of theaforesaid electric contacts by the primary demagnetization of thecircuit-closing magnet, substantially as set forth.

4:. In combination, a general-alarm circuit, a circuit-closer includedin and forming a part of the general-alarm circuit, a local-alarmcircuit, a releasing mechanism having an electromagnet included in anindependent circuit, a switch, a pivoted arm, an armature-controlledcatch for holding the pivoted arm in position, and a counterbalance heldin restraint by means of the pivoted arm and having connection with theaforesaid switch, whereby upon the initial closing of the circuitthrough the releasing mechanism, the latter is thrown out of circuit andthe local alarm cut into circuit, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination, a general alarm includ-,

ing a circuit-contro1ling electromagnet, a releasing mechanism having anelectromagnet included in a circuit which is normally held open by meansof the aforesaid electromagnet, a local alarm, a switch for throwing thecircuit of the releasing mechanism out of action and cutting thelocal-alarm circuit into action, a movable arm,an armature-controlledcatch for holding the pivoted arm in position; a pivoted catch forholding a connection in restraint, a bolt for securing the catch againstthe action of the said connection, and a counterbalance havingconnection with the said bolt and switch and normally held in restraintby the aforesaid movable arm and adapted upon the initial closing of thecircuit to re lease the catch mechanism and cut the circuit of thereleasing mechanism out of action and local-alarm circuit into action,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD P. MATTER.

